Elastic shoe upper



Sept. .30, 1947. R. A. BUNKER ELASTI'Q SHOE UPPER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July "16, 1945 FIG Z.

Sept. 30, 1947.

R. A. BUNKER ELASTIC SHOE UPPER Filed July 16, 1945 2 Shets-Sheet 2 FIG-9 Patented Sept. 30,1947

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELASTIC SHOE UPPER Ralph A. Bunker, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application July 16, 1945, Serial No. 605,332

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved shoe structure and has as an object the provision of a shoe of the regulation low-cut shoe type and having a regulation size opening but not having conventional closing means such as lacing or straps, etc. Also, the structure embodies an arrangement by which the parts constituting the upper of the shoe are secured together to provide the stability and rigidity of shoes manufactured in the conventional manner. The shoe constructed in accordance with my invention is of particularly neat and attractive appearance.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the shoe shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational View of the interior of the shoe illustrating the arrangement of the elastic gores.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan View of the vamp of the shoe.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the inside quarter.

Figure '7 is a plan view of the outside quarter.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the front liner member; and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of two connected quarter liner members.

The vamp, side quarters and liner members which collectively constitute the upper part of the shoe are mounted upon and secured to the sole structure I in any conventional manner.

The vamp II, outer side quarter I2 and inner side quarter I3 are intially cut as shown in Figs. 5, 7 and 6 respectively. The front liner member I4 is cut as shown in Fig. 8, and the outer and inner quarter liner members I and I6 are formed as shown in Fig. 9. The rear edges I1 and I8 of the side quarters I2 and I3 are sewed together at the heel seam 20, and the forward edges 2I and 22 of these side quarters are sewed to the adjacent rear edges 23 and 24 of the vamp II by seams '26. These seams 26 continue upwardly from the sole Ill approximately to the points 25 (Fig. 5). The remaining portion of the front edge of each side quarter 2! and 22 is not sewed to the vamp II nor otherwise directly connected thereto.

The rear edges 26 and 21 of the front liner member I4 are sewed to the corresponding front edges 28 and 29 of the quarter liner members I5 and I6 and the rear edges 30 and 3| of said quarter liner members are sewed together. The quarter liner members I5 and I6 are shown as also connected at the front by a seam 38, but they could obviously be made in one piece.

The quarter liner members I5 and 16 are formed with recesses extending downwardly from the top edges 32 and 33 thereof. An elastic gore 40 is positioned in each of these recesses and the side and bottom edges of each bore are sewed to the associated quarter liner member, as indicated by dotted lines at 4| in Fig. 3.

The upper edges 32 and 33 of the quarter liner members I5 and I6 are sewed to the corresponding top edges of the side quarters I2 and I3 by seams 36 (Figs. 1 and 3) which extend only from the heel seam 20 to the seam 4| at the rear edge of each gore 40. The forward portion of the united quarter liner members between said gores is sewed to the corresponding top edge portion of the vamp II by a seam 31 (Fig. 2).

The upper portion of the vamp II above the seams 26 is not secured directly to the side quarters I2 and I3 but is free therefrom and has flaps 45 extending rearwardly to overlap free flaps 40 (Fig. 4) at the upper front corners of the side of said side quarters. These flaps 40' overlie the gores or inserts 40 (Fig. 4). Thus the flaps 40' and 45 at the sides of the shoe entirely conceal the elastic gores 40.

The major and lower portion of the vamp II is secured to the side quarters I2 and I3 by the seams 26, to provide rigidity and stability, substantially as in conventional low-cut shoe construction.

The upper portion of the vamp I I can bereadily moved forwardly by extension of the gores 40 to increase the size of the opening in the shoe, so that the shoe can conveniently be applied to or withdrawn from the foot.

The elastic gores 40, being positioned adjacent the upper edge of the shoe opening and on each side of the instep, function to cause the upper portion of the shoe to fit the foot properly and without any undue strain or rubbing across the arch of the foot.

With the described construction, the vamp II is formed as a continuous and uninterrupted piece, thus imparting a particularly neat appearance to the shoe and avoiding the expense of providing the conventional lacing or strap, as

3 Well as the inconvenience of lacing and unlacing the shoe.

What I claim is:

1. A shoe of the low-cut type having a vamp and side quarters, the upper edge of said vamp combining with the upper edges of said side quar ters to define the top opening of the shoe, said vamp having rearwardly extending side flaps at its upper edge and having its rear edges sewed to the front edges of said side quarters only below said flaps, quarter liner members having portions sewed to the upper margins of said side quarters and of said vamp, said quarter liner members each having an elastic: gore inserted in an upper recess therein and extending downwardly from its upper edge, said gores being sewed to said liner members at the front edge of each gore and also at the-rear edge and bottom of each gore, and said gores being concealed by said side flaps on said vamp.

2. The combination in a shoe as set forth in claim 1, in which each side quarter has a portion extending forwardly and substantially covering the elastic gore in the adjacent quarter liner member, and in which the adjacent side flaps of the vamp cover said forwardly-extending side quarter portions.

RALPH A. BUNKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 163,171 Evans May 11, 1875 536,345 Harris Mar. 26, 1895 970,444 Helbig Sept. 13, 1910 1,779,677 Mudge Oct. 28, 1930 

